David Cobb and Michael Badnarik, the 2004
presidential candidates for the Green and Libertarian parties, today
announced their intentions to file a formal demand for a recount of the
presidential ballots cast in Ohio.

“Due to widespread reports of irregularities in
the Ohio voting process, we are compelled to demand a recount of the
Ohio presidential vote. Voting is the heart of the democratic process in
which we as a nation put our faith. When people stand in line for hours
to exercise their right to vote, they need to know that all votes will
be counted fairly and accurately. We must protect the rights of the
people of Ohio, as well as all Americans, and stand up for the right to
vote and the right for people’s votes to be counted. The integrity of
the democratic process is at stake,” the two candidates said in a
joint statement.

The candidates also demanded that Ohio Secretary of
State Kenneth Blackwell, a Republican who chaired the Ohio Bush
campaign, recuse himself from the recount process.

The Ohio presidential election was marred by
numerous press and independent reports of voter intimidation, mis-marked
and discarded ballots, problems with electronic voting machines and the
targeted disenfranchisement of African American voters. A number of
citizens’ groups and voting rights organizations are holding hearings
this Saturday in Columbus, Ohio to investigate voting irregularities and
voter suppression in the Ohio 2004 general election. The hearings will
be held from 1-4 p.m. at the New Faith Baptist Church, 955 Oak Street.
Voters, poll workers, journalists and voting experts are invited to
testify. A second hearing will be held on Monday at a location TBA, from
6-9 p.m.

The Cobb and Badnarik campaigns are in the process
of raising the required fee, estimated at $110,000, for filing for a
complete recount. The campaigns are accepting contributions through
their websites.

The Cobb and Badnarik campaigns have displayed a
level of cooperation and civility rarely found in electoral politics.
The campaigns jointly participated in and/or sponsored a series of
independent debates. Cobb and Badnarik were also simultaneously arrested
in St. Louis protesting their exclusion from the restricted, two-party
corporate-sponsored debates.